Help! My Kindergartner Can’t Hold a Pencil!

5 Recommendations for Building Pencil Strength at Home from a Pediatric Occupational Therapist

1. Is My Child Even Ready?

Just because your child maybe 5 years old, it doesn’t mean they are ready for kindergarten. If you are considering Kindergarten and they are young still, I would think about delaying kindergarten for a year. There are many benefits to delaying kindergarten, such as maturity and stronger muscles, including hand muscles, that may be more ready for holding a pencil. Also examine if your child is even interested in writing yet. If sitting down to write is not something they are at all enjoying, consider delaying school for another year.

2. Preparing Your Child’s Hand for Writing

There are LOTS of fun ways to build up strength in your child’s hand. Playdough, tearing paper, lacing with small beads, yes even LEGOS, can all help build up the fine motor muscles in your child’s hands. At the end of this blog post, you will find a freebie for many different activities to do at home to help prepare your child for writing activities.

3. How Does Your Child Hold a Pencil?

Go ahead and give your child a pencil and then sit next to them on the opposite side of whichever hand they are using. Study them for a few minutes. What are they doing with the pencil? How many fingers hold the pencil? Are they holding it too lightly? Too firm? Are they writing too light? Or pressing down on the paper so hard that the paper is ripping?

If your child enjoys sitting and coloring/writing, but appears to have a hard time holding the pencil, you could consider trying a pencil grip. These will not only help make it more comfortable, but also helps establish muscle memory of where the fingers should go to work best. Here are two of my favorites:

• The Pencil Grip, Crossover Grip: These are great for kiddos who need a little bit more support.
• The Pencil Grip, Mini Grip: These are great for kiddos who need minimal support, maybe just reminders of where to put their fingers, or for comfort.

4. Looking at the Rest of the Body

Frequently, kids have a hard time writing because of other weaker muscles in their body, such as their core, or their shoulder girdle. This is another time to investigate your child. Again, sit down at their level and examine their body positioning. Is their wrist doing the movement? Or is it the whole arm? Are they resting their writing forearm on the table? Do they sit upright with their feet touching the ground? You may be surprised to learn that all of these factors can contribute to how a child writes. Your child may benefit from using a slant board for writing, this encourages the body to be more upright, with the arm resting down. Make sure your child’s feet are resting on the floor or foot pad. If the chair is too high, consider a shorter chair, or add a foot rest. Activities to build your child’s core and shoulder girdle would also be recommended if you notice these areas to be weaker.

• Slant Board
• Chair Bands

5. Keep it Fun

Doing handwriting drills and tons of worksheets may not be the best fit for your child at first. You can learn letter shapes and how to make them without a pencil. Use fingers to trace a letter in salt or sand. Make letters out of sticks and rocks. Go crazy and use some shaving cream or finger paint. Building excitement and confidence in learning at this age is key. Handwriting skills will develop with time, and if you have exhausted all other avenues, you can always reach out to your local occupational therapist.

I hope this list helped! I am an Amazon Affliliate, so I do receive a small amount each time you make a purchase through my link.

Remember to grab your freebie below!